Chapter 44

After leaving the Demon Cult, our party rode through the night.

It was to shake off Heuk Un-hwi’s pursuit as much as possible later.

The horses were panting heavily, and deep fatigue lay on the faces of the escort warriors, who were not used to forced marches.

Even Im Yeon, the captain, was barely holding her reins with a weary face.

Then, as the eastern sky began to pale, we stopped halfway up a deep, remote mountain.

“Is everyone all right?”

“We are fine.”

That was how they answered, but none of them looked fine.

I turned my head and looked back the way we had come.

‘At this distance we can relax a little, I suppose.’

It would take at least two to four hours before Heuk Un-hwi even realized I had left the Demon Cult early.

Even if we rested here for about four hours, we still had leeway.

‘Not that we have that much to spare though.’

Shufu County, where the Longevity Cult had risen, was a place that took more than ten days just to reach.

The people were one thing, but the horses were another, so we could not simply sprint the whole way.

We had to rest when it was time to rest.

“Let us grab some sleep around here before we go on.”

At my words, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Perhaps because she was still a captain despite her lack of experience, Im Yeon spoke with a show of dignity.

“I will look for a suitable campsite. First, it must be close to a source of drinking water, and we need a covered place where the light of a campfire will not leak out as much as possible, and also—”

“That spot over there looks good.”

“Huh?”

Seeing no end to her speech even after waiting a while, I moved my horse first.

The place I chose was a hill with just enough undergrowth to hide our bodies and the horses.

“But Young Lord, to choose a suitable campsite, we must first scout the surroundings.”

“There’s no need.”

We had brought drinking water from the Demon Cult, and we could not light a fire.

Smoke rising by day could be seen from far away.

Heuk Un-hwi might break my expectations and pursue us quickly, so it was better to be cautious about what we could.

I added a few points as I explained this.

“From that spot, it will be easy to flee over the opposite ridge in an emergency, and it will be easy to clean up our sleeping place. Our traces will not show to the outside so easily.”

“Ah.”

Im Yeon let out a quiet sound of admiration.

“Let us head up first.”

“Yes, Young Lord.”

We climbed the hill and made camp.

Under my direction we broke branches to lay on the ground, then spread the sleeping bags over them.

Im Yeon stared at me with wide, round eyes.

“Young Lord, have you perhaps lived like this for a long time?”

“Why? Do I look that skilled?”

“You seem far too used to it. As if you had a great deal of experience.”

“Well, I suppose I do.”

At her question, memories of my previous life rose up.

The days when I wandered all across the Central Plains after running away from the Demon Cult.

With little money to my name, I slept out in the cold dew nine nights out of ten.

It had been physically hard, but I had enjoyed it a lot.

How should I put it, there had been a kind of romance to lying on the ground and falling asleep beneath a star-filled night sky.

“Oh my… so that is how it was.”

There was something strange in Im Yeon’s eyes.

It was like she was looking at a starving puppy.

“What is with that look?”

“Ah, the thing is. I heard a rumor that before you entered the cult you lived for a long time as a be… in hardship.”

“As a be… a beggar, right?”

When I asked bluntly, Im Yeon’s face turned slightly red.

“I-I am sorry.”

“It is fine, you can just say it plainly.”

“Yes. I heard you were a desperate beggar.”

What do you mean, desperate?

A hollow laugh almost escaped me.

She apparently thought my skill came from a long life as a beggar.

Sure enough, Im Yeon spoke sounding almost tearful.

“You are still so young, I cannot even imagine how much you must have suffered. I will definitely protect you so that at least your future days can be peaceful.”

They were kind words, but why did I not feel entirely pleased?

Honestly, it was true that I had lived a hard life in the past.

My parents had passed away when I was young and I had been left alone.

So before I was picked up by the Heavenly Demon, I had wandered from place to place, begging.

‘…I guess that is being a beggar, isn’t it?’

Anyway, who on earth spread the rumor that I was a desperate beggar?

Was it the Elder Council Lord?

You really had to hand it to him, he had a talent for annoying people.

Sitting on the ground, I chewed on dried jerky.

It was tough, but once I rolled it around in my mouth, it became edible.

After finishing our simple meal, Im Yeon came over.

“It would be best if you rested now, Young Lord.”

“You rest, Guard Im. I will keep watch.”

At those words, Im Yeon started in surprise.

“What do you mean by that! We will take turns standing watch, Young Lord, so please sleep.”

“It is fine. I insisted on the forced march.”

“That will not do! Our duty is to support you so that you may preserve your noble body.”

What? Preserve my noble body?

Why had it suddenly become so grand?

‘Surely this is not out of pity?’

It left me with a strange feeling.

It was because I remembered that look in her eyes when she called me a ‘desperate beggar.’

“Enough, just lie down already. Whatever you say, I am taking the first watch, which is the easiest anyway. After about an hour I will wake you first, Guard Im, so think of it that way.”

“But…!”

“All guards, into your sleeping bags. Now!”

“Y-yes, sir.”

I all but forced Im Yeon and the bodyguards to lie down.

No sooner had they done so than the bodyguards were fast asleep.

“……”

Im Yeon could not fall asleep right away and kept sneaking glances at me from her sleeping bag.

“Honestly.”

When I deliberately frowned, she screwed her eyes shut. After a bit of tossing and turning, I heard the soft sound of her breathing as she slept.

She must have been exhausted.

How often would a captain of only three months have gone on such a forced march.

Only after I had made sure everyone was asleep did I quietly move away.

It was a small clearing close to the camp.

On the way here, my head had been filled only with the subtlety of Insect Courage that the Heavenly Demon had taught me.

His every movement had replayed tens, hundreds of times as if etched into my soul.

And I had felt two things.

First, that the subtlety of Insect Courage grew more wondrous the more I chewed on it.

And second, that I had been far too foolish in my previous life.

I had not even mastered half, no, not even a quarter of the martial learning the Heavenly Demon possessed.

Because I had always been consumed by impatience, never knowing when I might die.

‘This time is different.’

My goals were clear.

To cure my severed meridians and prevent the Heavenly Demon’s descent into demonic madness.

I had also mapped out the rough path to reach those goals.

For that, there were two urgent tasks.

The first was to increase the absolutely insufficient amount of internal energy I had.

The second was to extend the time limit on using internal energy, which had increased to a quarter of an hour but still shackled me.

If all went as I expected, these problems would be somewhat alleviated by the time the Sacred Flame Festival ended.

Because that would open the way to the first of the three elixirs needed to completely cure True Blood Severed Meridians.

Sreung!

I drew the cold-iron dagger at my waist from beneath the cloak.

It was better to try something once than think about it a hundred times.

I swung the dagger, dwelling on the subtlety of Insect Courage.

Sometimes I moved without pause for over a quarter of an hour, and sometimes I lay down for more than half an hour.

Before I knew it, about four hours had passed.

It was time to wake everyone.

“Phew.”

I let out a deep breath and rose to my feet.

As I walked back to the camp, I shouted.

“All right, everyone up. It is time to move.”

Im Yeon and the escorts opened their eyes with difficulty.

They rubbed their swollen eyes and yawned until their mouths seemed ready to split.

Anyone could see they had been in deep sleep until just now.

Then, suddenly, Im Yeon tilted her head.

Soon, her eyes widened as if she had realized something.

“Y-Young Lord! D-did you perhaps stand watch alone while we were asleep?”

I was inwardly impressed. She was the first of the four to grasp the situation.

I had not known Im Yeon had this kind of sharpness.

“Why did you not wake us?”

“I was going to, but you all looked so tired. So I figured I would be the only one to suffer a bit.”

“But Young Lord!”

“Earlier you said you would protect me so I could live in peace, right? I want to protect all of you too. You are my guards, so if you slept well, I am satisfied.”

“Young Lord…!”

I spoke with a Buddha-like smile.

Im Yeon and the escorts’ eyes grew moist.

They looked deeply moved.

In truth I had not woken them because I was training Insect Courage, but there was no need to mention that.

Times like this were for earning points.

“Let us have a quick bite first.”

“Yes. If you grow too tired on the way, please tell us anytime. We will carry you on our backs if we must and see you to our destination.”

Im Yeon clenched her fist.

I did not need that much, but truthfully, I was tired.

What let me endure was thanks to the Heavenly Demon.

Compared to how he usually ran me ragged, this was nothing.

And ever since gaining Perfect Demonic Qi, my body somehow felt less fatigued.

“All right, let us head out.”

With that, we began riding again.

And a little over ten days later.

After an unbroken forced march, we finally had our destination, Shufu County, before our eyes.

“Let us stop here for a bit.”

“Yes!”

Im Yeon and the others answered in unison with vigorous voices.

Compared to before our departure, the looks they gave me had changed.

How should I put it, perhaps their reverence and trust had grown deeper than before.

It was probably because of what I had shown them over the journey.

Because I had stood more watches than my guards thanks to my Insect Courage training.

Because of that my fatigue pierced the sky, but I had gained something as well.

I had gotten a feel for Insect Courage.

“We only have a bit more to go before Shufu County now. What was our mission again?”

“To subjugate the Heretical Cult.”

“Right. But is that actually possible?”

In my previous life, the one who took this mission had been Heuk Un-hwi.

The Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan had attached powerful experts to him, but they had failed in the end.

Because they had foolishly chosen to make a frontal assault with only six people.

Only Heuk Un-hwi, whose martial ability was highest among them, had barely managed to return alive.

What became clear then was that the Longevity Cult had many experts, and that they moved in perfect unison as if they were one body.

Now let us think about our own strength.

One person with severed meridians, one at the threshold of peak master level, one first-rate, and two second-rate warriors.

If we charged in to subjugate the Longevity Cult, all we would get were five cold corpses.

That was why I devised the most reliable way to complete the mission.

And that was.

“We will skip all the preliminary steps and go straight to meeting the cult leader.”

“A-ah, is it an assassination?”

Im Yeon swallowed hard.

“Not that. I want to have a conversation first.”

“But Young Lord, rumor has it that the Longevity Cult leader is so secretive that no one knows who he really is. He hardly ever appears in public, so his name and age are said to be unknown. Can you even meet him?”

“Of course. I know exactly what kind of person the cult leader is.”

“A-are you serious?”

Serious, of course.

As Im Yeon said, the Longevity Cult leader hid his identity completely. He did not remove his mask even for a moment when he acted outside.

However, I could recognize him at a glance.

I knew his true identity, the martial arts he practiced, and even the reason he founded the Longevity Cult.

“Now, let us review our cover story. Who did we say I am?”

“You are the successor of a merchant guild in the Guizhou region.”

“And the guild’s name?”

“The White Tiger Merchant Guild.”

There was no special reason I had named it White Tiger.

I had just slapped on whatever came to mind.

“What is your position, Guard Im?”

“As the junior head clerk, I assist you, the young master and heir.”

“And all of you?”

“We are guards.”

“Good.”

I nodded.

If we made our cover story too complicated, we would only trip over our own tongues, so I made it as close to reality as possible.

“Let us move again.”

“Yes!”

Leading our horses, we finally entered the outskirts of Shufu County.

Shufu County was a place with the Tianshan Mountain Range to the north and endless desert to the south.

A river ran through its center, making it an important trading hub connecting west and east.

From people with foreign features to people of the Central Plains.

This was a place where all kinds of people gathered.

“You filthy Demon Cult lackey! Do you know how much blood we have shed because of you!”

It was then.

A rough voice stabbed into my ears.

‘Did someone recognize us?’

I reflexively flinched and turned my head, but where the voice came from, a scene that made me frown was unfolding.

Half a dozen burly men were surrounding an old man with a full head of white hair and threatening him roughly.

They hurled all sorts of curses, shoving the old man and raising their arms as if to beat him.

“If only we could burn this bastard to death right here. Get this Demon Cult dog out of my sight at once!”

“Yes, Left Envoy!”

The men began dragging the old man, who was too frightened to resist, roughly away.

The people nearby either turned away from the scene or watched with fearful eyes; not one stepped forward.

In a low voice, Im Yeon spoke, tension on her face.

“Young Lord, the atmosphere is not good.”

“It really is not. Be careful not to get involved in trouble.”

“Yes, Young Lord.”

With furrowed brows, we stepped into the marketplace of Shufu County.

To meet the cult leader, we first had to arrange lodgings.